Micrepeira hoeferi Levi 1995

Results New records BRAZIL - Ceará • Pacoti; 04°14’02”S, 38°53’26”W, 738 m a.s.l.; 29.I.2022; L.A. Santiago, L.C. Pereira, A.A.A. Castro, J.C.F. Morales leg; 1♂, CHNUFPI 4130, 3♀, CHNUFPI 4131, 14 juveniles, CHNUFPI 4132, CHNUFPI 4133 • Baturité; 04°18’06”S, 38°54’40”W, 602 m a.s.l.; 29.I.2022; M.C. Sousa leg; 1♀, CHNUFPI 4134. Identification Both female and male Micrepeira hoeferi have a darkorange carapace, with darker sides on the thoracic region. Females (Figure 3A) exhibit light-brown chelicerae, and their legs display dark-brown rings (Levi, 1995). Additionally, females can be distinguished from those of Micrepeira tubulofaciens and Micrepeira fowleri by a less prominent epigynum (Figure 3C; Levi, 1995). In males (Figure 3B), the median apophysis of the pedipalps lacks a lobe like, which is present in other species, and instead bears a spine (Figure 3D; Levi, 2002). The color pattern described by Levi (1995) for M. hoeferi closely matches the specimens collected during this study, supporting their identification in the field. The only difference compared to Levi’s description is the presence of larger black patches on the dorsum of the abdomen. Discussion The orb-weaver spider Micrepeira hoeferi has been recorded in Colombia, French Guiana, Peru and Brazil, at elevations ranging from 22 to 551 m a.s.l. (Dierkens, 2012; Levi, 1995; Tovar-Márquez et al., 2021). In Brazil, this species has been reported from the states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pernambuco, and Roraima, occurring across the Amazon Rainforest, Atlantic Forest, and Caatinga biomes. In Amazonas, it has been found at elevations between 50 and 292 m a.s.l.; in Mato Grosso, between 431 and 595 m a.s.l.; in Pernambuco, between 440 and 562 m a.s.l.; and in Roraima, between 114 and 213 m a.s.l. (Levi, 1995). This study extends the known geographic range of M. hoeferi to the State of Ceará Ceará northeastern Brazil and increases its recorded altitudinal range to 738 m a.s.l. The descriptions and identification keys by Levi (1995) could be updated using the new voucher specimens deposited in the Natural History Collection of the Federal University of Piauí. These specimens may reveal regional variations, as the females collected exhibit slight differences to those originally described by Levi. The shape and specific features of the semicircular web are consistent with Levi's (1995) observations of a population from the Brazilian Amazon, as well as with Quintero’s (1974) description of Micrepeira tubulofaciens (formerly Spilasma tubulofaciens).